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A review by introvertedinternetperson
Furious by Rebecca Podos, Jamie Pacton
3.5
My first sapphic sports romance of 2025.
This sweet YA explored themes of grief from the perspective of two teens: one who lost her mom to a car accident and one who was abandoned by her sister. I enjoyed the comparison and reflection of what it means to lose an idol, how to gain closure, the way it changes all other relationships you have, and that grief does not only come in one form. This was by far my favourite part of this book.
The writing style was in line with YA.The plotline with Max became stale after the race with Riley. I expected more mystery but it was fairly clear by this point that her version of her sister was an illusion.
Our characters El and Jojo didn’t have the most believable chemistry, but they were sweet in their own right and by the end, I was rooting for them. We got to see each perspective pretty equally, with each having their own voice. I loved seeing their friendships and wish we got more time with CJ, James and Zara.
I also loved to see a strong sense of identity with these teens that is often missing in YA. I am positive I missed the many references they made to the Fast and Furious franchise and racing/bikes/cars in general since that is out of my realm but I appreciated that piece of the story and think it could have been leveraged even more in the story.
This sweet YA explored themes of grief from the perspective of two teens: one who lost her mom to a car accident and one who was abandoned by her sister. I enjoyed the comparison and reflection of what it means to lose an idol, how to gain closure, the way it changes all other relationships you have, and that grief does not only come in one form. This was by far my favourite part of this book.
The writing style was in line with YA.
Our characters El and Jojo didn’t have the most believable chemistry, but they were sweet in their own right and by the end, I was rooting for them. We got to see each perspective pretty equally, with each having their own voice. I loved seeing their friendships and wish we got more time with CJ, James and Zara.
I also loved to see a strong sense of identity with these teens that is often missing in YA. I am positive I missed the many references they made to the Fast and Furious franchise and racing/bikes/cars in general since that is out of my realm but I appreciated that piece of the story and think it could have been leveraged even more in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol